National Science Foundation for the Future Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. JACKSON LEE. -Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in proud support of H.R. 2225, the ``National Science foundation for the Future Act,'' which authorizes appropriations for the National Science Foundation for the next five fiscal years.

As a former member of the House Science committee, I believe science and engineering academic research is an essential investment due to the ongoing cybersecurity, national security, and public wellbeing threats attacking the Nation.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic research that is a primary driver of the U.S. economy, enhances the nation's security, and advances knowledge to sustain global leadership.

Specifically, the NSF is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for fundamental science and engineering fields.

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering, providing grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations, and other research organizations throughout the U.S.

Pursuant to the National Science Foundation for the Future Act, NSF will contract with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the status and opportunities for Pre-K through 12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science, (STEM) education research.

The NSF contributions have specifically benefitted Texas institutions by previously investing $46,828,000 to STEM education and $356,731,000 in fundamental research.

The National Science Foundation for the Future Act will continue to impact Texas STEM education.

For example, money distributed through the National Science Foundation go to University of Houston STEM student researching at The University of Houston Division of Research Department.

In the past, the NSF funding helped researchers at Rice University develop a nanotechnology-based ``trap-and-zap'' approach to absorbing and deactivating antibiotic-resistant genes.

More importantly the money from the NSF is contributed to the Science and Technology Enhancement Program (STEP) at Texas Southern University to help increase the number of African-American and female graduates in all STEM fields.

H.R. 2225 carries out a national initiative to facilitate the development of networks and partnerships to broaden participation in STEM studies and careers of historically underrepresented groups like students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The funds allocated to STEM programs like Texas Southern University contribute to President Biden's plan to help build up and financially support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Research has found that HBCUs are vital to helping underrepresented students move to the top of the income ladder.

HBCUs are only three percent of four-year universities, and their graduates make up approximately 80 percent of Black judges, half of Black lawyers and doctors, and 25 percent of Black undergraduates earning STEM degrees.

President Biden wants us to invest in HBCU's by creating or expanding educational programs in high-demand fields (e.g., STEM, computer sciences, nursing, and allied health), with an additional $2 billion directed towards building a pipeline of skilled health care workers with graduate degrees.

Through the American Jobs Plan, President Biden wants to eliminate racial and gender inequities in research and development and science, technology, engineering, and math.

President Biden wants to invest $40 billion in upgrading research infrastructure in laboratories across the country, including brick-and- mortar facilities and computing capabilities and networks. These funds would be allocated across the federal R&D agencies, including at the Department of Energy.

Half of those funds will be reserved for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions, including the creation of a new national lab focused on climate that will be affiliated with an HBCU.

H.R. 2225 awards the NSF billions of dollars in the next five years to address significant societal challenges and sustain United States leadership in innovation by increasing investments in research, specifically for underrepresented populations, like HBCU students, in STEM.

I urge all Members to join me in voting for H.R. 2225, the ''National Science foundation for the Future Act,'' to ensure that we fund our STEM programs to prepare us for the future better.

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